Meet Jay Z's Newest Signee, Young Paris

Jay Z's Roc Nation label boasts a long list of familiar acts—like Rihanna, Big Sean, J. Cole, Grimes and even himself—but the newest addition to the roster is on the rise. Enter Young Paris (née Milandou Badila), a Congolese, French-born and New York-bred artist whose multicultural influences show in his music just as much as in his style.

Paris' sound is a mix of EDM, hip-hop and African music and his wardrobe is one that combines streetwear with tribal prints and face paint, which has become his staple. While juggling his music projects, he's also managing his own brand called Melanin, a website and social media initiative, which he says embraces "the beauty and excellence" of black culture. At a time where artists from Solange to Kendrick Lamar are known for celebrating black identity, a musician like Paris, who's so proud of and vocal about his cultural roots, is not only necessary, he's in good company too.

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The artist sat down with HarpersBAZAAR.com yesterday to talk about joining the "Roc Nation family," creating his style and his new album, African Vogue. Read through the highlights below and scroll down to watch the full video.

Harper's BAZAAR: What's it like to be signed with Jay Z?

Young Paris: Roc nation is a super strong platform. They call themselves the Roc Nation family for a reason, when you go in there you really know why. It feels like a super strong communal unit and I'm super proud to be part of the family with the people who brought me in it and have watched me for a couple of years now. It's amazing. I mean, it's Jay Z, it's super cool to see the people you grew up watching in an office space when they're just themselves.

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HB: How did you develop your sound?

YP: My sound comes from my cultural background I am Congolese, I grew up in Paris by way of Congo and my father co-founded national ballet in Congo so I grew up with a strong traditional influence. Just growing up in the neighborhood and living in New York, hip hop culture was my dynamic and I just also love going to parties and listening to EDM. So I just thought I could mix these different vibrations into what I thought I could display my sound to be and that's pretty much what you hear.

HB: You just released your album African Vogue over the summer. Can you tell us a bit about that?

YP: African Vogue took us about eight months to make. Essentially African Vogue was my way of using different ambiances in African music and complementing it into contemporary music. So when you hear the music, you will hear the range of moments that are super melodic to moments that are super aggressive. It kind of goes back to who I am and how I represent myself. I see myself as very traditional and very contemporary.

HB: Tell us a little bit about your brand, Melanin.

YP: Essentially, the concept is for people of color to highlight their beauty and excellence. A lot of times in our culture and upbringing there are a lot of problems with self-identity and self-love. So this is my way of telling people of color to highlight their beauty and to embellish their melanin. It's just another way of bringing more love and more beauty unto our people and bringing that African influence into our culture.

HB: What's your relationship with fashion like?

YP: I have a background in being a natural style person. In the Congo world, we have this very strong movement called the Sapeur which goes back probably 100 years, where the poorest people spend all their money and go to Paris and buy $2000 suits. And I come from that culture. It has always been a Congolese way to dress up. Essentially my thing has been to be more of an observer of fashion and being a fan of what I saw from different designers that I believe in. Eventually, I just started going to shows and getting involved behind the scenes using my own images to shoot. I started as a model, actually.